Salukis fall to Central Michigan to open Shamrock Invitational

Friday, September 15

South Bend, Ind.

4:30 p.m. EST

Southern Illinois University

1-8

Central Michigan University

8-2

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Central Michigan	25	25	25	3
Southern Illinois	19	19	22	0

Photo by: Madison Case

Salukis fall to Central Michigan to open Shamrock Invitational

09/15/2017 | 8:51:00 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Saluki volleyball dropped its opening match of the Shamrock Invitational to Central Michigan, 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) Friday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

Andrea Estrada finished with a team-high seven kills and added five digs, a solo block and three block assists. Estrada was one of six Salukis (1-8) to record multiple blocks, and Southern recorded 11.5 blocks- its most in a three-set match this season.

Patience Brown tallied six kills, four block assists and an ace, while fellow middle hitter Kolby Meeks added five kills and four block assists. Ashley Edelen totaled a team-best 13 digs, while Rachel Maguire dished out a team-high 12 assists and added six digs and an ace.

The Salukis hit .185 in the opening frame while Central Michigan (8-2) hit .265. SIU battled to a 16-16 tie before the Chippewas closed on a 9-3 run to take the first set, 25-19. Estrada led the way in the first stanza with three of her seven kills.

SIU struggled in the second set, as it hit just .034. Southern's block, however, kept it close, as the Salukis tallied five blocks to hold Central Michigan to a .125 hitting percentage in the frame. The Salukis cut a seven-point Chippewa advantage (17-10) down to three with Brown at the service line, but six-straight points by Central Michigan built the Chippewas a lead they never relinquished.

It wasn't until the third set that SIU was able to get things clicking offensively. The Salukis hit .229 during the third frame and built a four-point advantage late, highlighted by two kills and a block assist from Estrada that put SIU ahead 21-17. The Chippewas responded with seven-straight points to get to set point and eventually took the set, 25-22.

The Salukis play two tomorrow at the Shamrock Invitational, as they take on Notre Dame at 12:30 p.m. EST before tangling with No. 23 Michigan State at 4:30 p.m. EST. The Irish, who received seven votes for inclusion in this week's AVCA Top-25 poll, bolstered their resume with a sweep of the Spartans Friday.